Would he get angry if she refused? Amira hesitantly joined him in the centre of the room.
His bright turquoise eyes were searching hers when he asked, “What do you feel for Rhay?”
She hadn’t expected his question. He wasn’t outright accusing her of seducing Rhay this time. Instead he was asking aboutfeelings.Was Karwyn jealous? Of whom? Rhay or her? Either way, she needed to get out of this conversation. Her hand discreetly pulled at a strand of her hair. She’d been so stupid to drink with Rhay last night. If Karwyn knew, Wryen would know soon too.
Karwyn pressed her before she could spiral further, “Do you feel for him as more than a friend?”
“Of course not,” she simply said before even considering if it was true. She was confused about her own feelings all the time.
“Then you won’t mind me reading your thoughts to confirm,” he said as he tried to grab her arm. She quickly moved away and aimed for the door, her heart beating fast in her chest. But Karwyn was faster than her.
She found herself with her back pressed against the wall, prevented from moving by Karwyn’s hold on her arms. So his mind reading power was indeed real. She hadn’t been sure until now even though Rhay had said as much. Karwyn was getting more dangerous the longer she stayed at the palace. How far would he go?
This time, she was able to feel Karwyn’s grip on her thoughts. It was as if invisible fingers were clawing at her mind, trying to tear down her walls to find the truth. A strange darkness started to build up in her core. She could feel something trying to escape. She struggled to get away from Karwyn.
Confusing thoughts ran through her, apparently making it harder for Karwyn to get his answer. She could feel him getting angrier as he tried to invade her thoughts, to hunt down each one of them.
“Did you train to block my powers?” he roared.
Amira’s heart sped up in her chest. She hadn’t, but the pain Karwyn was currently putting her under made her wish she had. Tears flooded her eyes as pain and fear mixed in her heart.
“No,” Amira bit out.
“Then let me read you. Think only of Rhay,” he demanded.
Amira let herself go limp.Rhay, think of Rhay. Give Karwyn his answer.She closed her eyes, immerging herself in her wave of thoughts.Please let this be over.
Finally, she felt Karwyn’s grip loosen on her thoughts. “I see you are not lying. For once, you do not disappoint me, fiancée.” He let go of her arms and stepped back. “We might be able to get along after all,” he said with a knowing smile before he exited the room.
Amira shuddered, wondering what Karwyn had seen in her mind. At least, he seemed satisfied with her feelings towards Rhay. Would he demand proof like this every time?
She slid down the wall, her brain in shambles. How could she know rest when Karwyn was able to hunt down her most intimate thoughts? Wryen’s control had been invasive, but nothing like this. With Karwyn’s ability, how could she ever be free?
Chapter32
Lora
Something cold and sharp dug into Lora’s back. She moved slightly and was rewarded with a splintering headache. The sharp pain woke her up completely and she opened her eyes to a dimly lit, bleak stone ceiling.
Lora sat up faster than she should have. Her head spun. She was sitting on a cold stone floor and discovered a rock had been under her back, probably bruising her. But that was far from the worst part of her situation. While two of the walls around her were stone, the other two were made of metal bars.
She was in a literal cage. Earlier she had thought she couldn’t feel any more hopeless. Apparently, there was drowning, and then there was the feeling of drowning over and over again, each time worse than the last one.
This was undoubtedly worse.
There was a wooden door at the end of the cave-like room. It was shut tightly and the only light illuminating the room were two torches on either side of the door.
For one second, Lora imagined this was a dream. Not because she couldn’t imagine something this terrible happening to her, but because it didn’t make sense. Who were these fae who had attacked her and Eyden? Why would they lock her up? Why not just kill her?
They couldn’t keep her as a slave, it would go against the binding agreement humans had with the fae. Shortly before the border spell was put in place, the high king signed an agreement that hindered all fae from binding humans to slave contracts ever again. To Lora’s knowledge, only witches were bound by such life-sentencing contracts nowadays. Witches were not seen as fae, but they weren’t human either. They belonged to Liraen, so they weren’t part of any human negotiations.
A fleeting thought went through Lora’s mind like a whisper. If she was here alone, did that mean they left Eyden behind? Or was he dead? Her breath hitched but she quickly erased that last thought. If there’s one thing Eyden was good at, it was disappearing. He probably left her and made a run for it. Most likely, he even embraced the idea of finally being rid of her.
He couldn’t possibly be dead.
The creaking sound of the door made Lora take a step backwards, away from the bars. She steadied herself against the chilly wall.
A fae appeared before her as he walked into the room, stopping in front of the bars. He carried a cup of what she assumed was water. Lora racked her brain and decided he must be the fae who had attacked her earlier.
